Burlington · VA / Military
VA and Military Buyers in Burlington, NC
VA financing and PCS timing explained plainly, with the search and the closing built around your report date.
A Quick Note
This page is general information, not legal, tax, or lending advice. VA loan rules and tax rules change, and only the VA, your lender, and the county tax office can decide what applies to you. I am a real estate professional, and my part is the search, the contract, and keeping your timeline on track.
VA and Military Buyers in Burlington
Whether you are coming home to Alamance County, working around a PCS date, or using a benefit you earned on a house you plan to keep, we set the timeline around you. Local to Coastal Realty keeps an office in Burlington, and I was born and raised here. I talk with your lender early so your offer fits what a VA loan requires, I walk every house with you, and I run the comps so you see what it is worth before you offer.
Your Local Veterans Service Office
Alamance County Veteran Services works from 319 North Graham Hopedale Road, Suite E, in Burlington, by appointment, at 336-570-6763. The office says it works for veterans, not the VA, and it is a good first call for benefits questions. It is also where a property tax form gets certified, as you will see below. The county's office lists phone numbers for the Durham VA Medical Center and the Kernersville VA Medical Center as well.
Your VA Loan, in Short
According to the VA, a VA-backed purchase loan requires no down payment as long as the sales price does not exceed the appraised value, carries no private mortgage insurance, and has no penalty for paying it off early. You need a Certificate of Eligibility and you have to intend to live in the home. With full entitlement, the VA says you have no VA loan limit, as long as you can afford the loan and the appraisal supports the price.
Most borrowers pay a one-time funding fee: for a first-use purchase loan with less than 5 percent down, the VA lists 2.15 percent, which is $5,375 on a $250,000 loan. You are exempt if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, along with a few other exemptions the VA lists. My page on buying a home with a VA loan covers entitlement, the appraisal, and paying your buyer's agent.
Property Tax: The Exclusion and the Rate
North Carolina law excludes the first $45,000 of a home's appraised value from property tax for a veteran with a service-connected, permanent, and total disability, or one who has received specially adapted housing benefits, and an unremarried surviving spouse can qualify. The home has to be your permanent residence. The NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs says to take Form NCDVA-9 to a veterans service office for certification, which in Alamance County is the office above, then file it with Form AV-9 at the county tax office by June 1 of the tax year.
The rate matters too. Alamance County's 2026-2027 schedule lists combined rates of 1.0576 per $100 of value in Burlington, 0.8339 in Graham, 0.894 in Elon, and 0.864 in Mebane. On a $250,000 home in Burlington, the $45,000 exclusion is worth about $476 a year. I confirm the district on every address.
Retirement Pay and North Carolina
North Carolina lets you deduct military retirement pay on your state return if you served at least 20 years or were medically retired under 10 U.S.C. Chapter 61. If you do not meet either test, ask a tax professional before you count on it.
How I Work With You
We sign a written buyer agreement before touring, as the National Association of REALTORS has required of MLS participants since August 17, 2024. A VA-approved appraiser checks value and the VA's minimum property requirements, and I still recommend a full inspection, because the inspector works for you. I explain the North Carolina contract line by line and keep the inspection, the VA appraisal, and the closing attorney moving toward your date. If you are still serving and expect orders, my page for VA and military buyers in Fayetteville covers PCS timing. For the rest of town, see my Burlington guide and buying a home in Burlington, then call me.
Sources
The rules and figures above come from these sources, checked in October 2026. VA fees, tax rules, and rates change, so your lender and the tax office have the final word.
- Alamance County Veteran Services
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA-backed purchase loans
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA home loan limits and entitlement
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, funding fee and closing costs
- N.C. G.S. 105-277.1C, disabled veteran homestead exclusion
- NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, veterans property tax relief
- Alamance County Tax Administration, schedule of tax rates for 2026-2027
- NC Department of Revenue, military retirement
- National Association of REALTORS, settlement FAQs, practice changes effective August 17, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the veterans service office in Alamance County?
Alamance County Veteran Services is at 319 North Graham Hopedale Road, Suite E, in Burlington, by appointment. Call 336-570-6763.
How much is the disabled veteran property tax exclusion worth in Burlington?
North Carolina excludes the first $45,000 of appraised value. At Burlington's 2026-2027 combined rate of 1.0576 per $100, that is about $476 a year.
Do I need a down payment with a VA loan?
Not usually. The VA says no down payment is required as long as the sales price does not exceed the appraised value, though your lender still has to approve you.
Burlington
What va / military looks like in Burlington
A restored carousel in a 75-acre City Park, a hot dog stand open since 1928, and a downtown right where Cathy calls home.
Burlington City Park spans more than 75 acres and holds a restored Dentzel carousel from the early 1900s that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Downtown has Zack's Hot Dogs, which opened in 1928, and the Paramount Theatre, renovated for 1998.
Elon University began as Elon College in 1889, Graham centers on the Alamance County Courthouse built in 1923, and Saxapahaw Island Park circles an island in the Haw River.
VA / Military: keep exploring
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